This game probably would have been better if they would have named it Hack and Slash 2. Because if you were expecting any of the greatness of Origins in this game, then dissapointment is all you'll find.It really is a comletely different game that happens to have a dragon age theme. This is not an rpg, but an action game. one of the worst aspects is the dialogue which is as unrealisticThis game probably would have been better if they would have named it Hack and Slash 2. Because if you were expecting any of the greatness of Origins in this game, then dissapointment is all you'll find.It really is a comletely different game that happens to have a dragon age theme. This is not an rpg, but an action game. one of the worst aspects is the dialogue which is as unrealistic and incoherent as it can be. That's tragic given that what made Origins a masterpiece is the fact the conversations/dialogue brought the characters to life. You could actually connnect to the characters as if they were real people. you could role play. I found myself hating my own character is dragon age 2. not to mention that what you pick on the screen and what your character actually says are two different things. also the fact that your main character speaks for himself doesn't allow you to role play. If you really want a role playing experience get Dragon Age Origins instead. The ultimate edition is 29 dollars on Steam and the game is far better than Dragon Age 2. Orgins is 100 times better for half the price.…Expand

As a person who absolutely loved games like neverwinter nights and all of its expansions, I naturally fell in love with Dragon Age: Origins. Playing Dragon Age 2 was a massive change of tone from the original to such an extent it doesn't seem similar at all. Massive amounts of functionality and customization were torn from this game when compared to its predecessor. I've tried numerousAs a person who absolutely loved games like neverwinter nights and all of its expansions, I naturally fell in love with Dragon Age: Origins. Playing Dragon Age 2 was a massive change of tone from the original to such an extent it doesn't seem similar at all. Massive amounts of functionality and customization were torn from this game when compared to its predecessor. I've tried numerous times with each class to finish this game, but i inevitably get bored and stop playing after only a few hours. Maybe i had too high of hopes to begin with since Dragon Age: Origins was just so awesome, but I feel now that my money and my time could have been better spent.…Expand

To fans of Dragon Age: Origins be warned. This game does NOT do its predecessor justice. The first few hours of the game were fun, I enjoyed the smooth feel of combat and enjoyed Varric's humour very much. However the charm of DA2 wears off after you find yourself completing meaningless quests in the same area you had visited a couple of hours before. Bioware constantly recycle questTo fans of Dragon Age: Origins be warned. This game does NOT do its predecessor justice. The first few hours of the game were fun, I enjoyed the smooth feel of combat and enjoyed Varric's humour very much. However the charm of DA2 wears off after you find yourself completing meaningless quests in the same area you had visited a couple of hours before. Bioware constantly recycle quest environments and have put little effort into making the game as challenging as DA:O. In fact, every fight in the game is the same: You kill one wave of enemies and another instantly appears out of thin air. I am very disappointed in this game and it was no surprise to learn Bioware plans to create Dragon Age 3 by using the best parts of Origins and the best parts of DA2. I'll admit, combat is a major improvement for DA2, but the characters (except Varric) develop weakly. The story could have been soo much better (especially with regards to the Templar v Mages conflict) but it was just poorly executed. If you loved DA:O then heed this warning: The game has clearly been aimed at an audience difference from fans of the original. Do you remember the epic scene of King Cailan at the beginning of DA:O? Do you remember how mad you were at Loghain? You will NEVER feel that affectively connected with any characters in this game. This is a terrible, terrible piece of unimaginative work from Bioware.

I cannot stress enough how bad it is that they reused the SAME areas over and over again for quests and how enemies materialise out of thin air. If you play on the hardest difficulty the enemies do not get smarter either, they are REALLY stupid.

If you are about 15-16 or under, are a casual gamer who enjoys a quick 30 minute dip at a game each session, or if you like a quick action-orientated game then I could recommend this title to you. If you prefer detailed storyline, intricate characters, epic storytelling then DO NOT PURCHASE THIS GAME. I don't know how it is getting such rave reviews, but I'd imagine this is coming from its target audience (which is good I guess, considering that is what it was aimed at) but if you loved DA:O NEVER let this game EVER touch your Xbox or PC, EVER! It's quite funny to see how the XboX users found this generally positive than PC users (suggesting a consolified marketplace now).…Expand

This is an incredibly disappointing game. The story isn't told very well, combat no longer requires much thought (nor enjoyment), and exploration isn't an option. When i played DA:O, I would have moments in which I would have to put down the controller and seriously think about the decisions that I made for my character and his companions. It challenged my values (albeit in a very smallThis is an incredibly disappointing game. The story isn't told very well, combat no longer requires much thought (nor enjoyment), and exploration isn't an option. When i played DA:O, I would have moments in which I would have to put down the controller and seriously think about the decisions that I made for my character and his companions. It challenged my values (albeit in a very small and easy to forget way). I didn't have one such moment in the entirety of DA2. Also, as others have voiced, playing through the same few and recycled dungeons was tiresome.…Expand

After playing dragon age 2 I can't help but feeling a bit cheated.Not many games including skyrim can beat dragon age origins but it's the matter in which da2 failed that upsets me. The emotional attachment to characters compared to da:O is non existent,the storyline in my view is boring and the setting of the game leaves further disappointment.Background after background is overused andAfter playing dragon age 2 I can't help but feeling a bit cheated.Not many games including skyrim can beat dragon age origins but it's the matter in which da2 failed that upsets me. The emotional attachment to characters compared to da:O is non existent,the storyline in my view is boring and the setting of the game leaves further disappointment.Background after background is overused and predictable enemy spawning causes frustration.The first game in my view is bigger in size better in quality and nearly has more depth of story in the intros combined than all of da2Don't buy this game you'll regret it.…Expand

Origin was not perfect, but it was a good game. Here, on DA2, every aspect of the game is a downgrade. No more strategic battle, no armors for companions in inventory, no crafting (NPCs make it for you), no dialogue skills like persuasion or intimidation (you can ask a companion to interfere in conversation, but it's an automatic succes). This game is a waste, and I'm worried about Mass Effect 3.

To go a little more indepth, Bioware has done away with things like companion equipment (apart from accessories), changed the camera to an "up your butt" forced view, and max zoomout isnt far at all, its extremely difficult to see much if you are playing a ranged character (like a mage).
To top the insult off, they have introduced spawningShortly summed up, i thought DA2 was awful.

To go a little more indepth, Bioware has done away with things like companion equipment (apart from accessories), changed the camera to an "up your butt" forced view, and max zoomout isnt far at all, its extremely difficult to see much if you are playing a ranged character (like a mage).

To top the insult off, they have introduced spawning waves of enemies, and lots of "flashy" deathmoves with gore whipping all over the place. This has a lot more in common with an action game than it does a role playing game. Definitely the low point of Bioware's career :/…Expand

Dragon Age 2 is a step backwards in many ways from Dragon Age: Origins. DA:O was supposedly the spiritual successor to Baldur's Gate and while it fell short of that lofty goal, it did manage to be a great step in the right direction and a great first entry for a new RPG franchise. A sequel merely needed to build upon that success by giving the fans more of the same with a new story to sinkDragon Age 2 is a step backwards in many ways from Dragon Age: Origins. DA:O was supposedly the spiritual successor to Baldur's Gate and while it fell short of that lofty goal, it did manage to be a great step in the right direction and a great first entry for a new RPG franchise. A sequel merely needed to build upon that success by giving the fans more of the same with a new story to sink their teeth into. Sadly DA2 fails to do this. Many of the great features of the original have been removed. The origins choice and playthrough at the start where a race/class is chosen and it affects the character entirely, has been removed. Full dialogue options have been removed in favour of a simple good/bad/neutral choice. Combat has been made very simple and less tactical. The overhead camera has been removed.

It has the better graphics that we would expect from a sequel but the substance and the depth and richness that would have been needed to cement this is as a great RPG franchise have been forgotten in favour of flashier animations, extra voice acting and simpler gameplay to appeal to a mass market.

This is bad enough but the game was also rushed. The environments are recyled to a very noticeable extent that ruins immersion and the gameplay feels linear in comparison to better rpgs.

I do not know if it is possible in the modern gaming market to produce something with love and care like BG was but Bioware, if you are listening - please go back to your roots and make a TRUE baldur's gate successor! Or at the very least make sure that Dragon Age 3 is more like it's origins.…Expand

I should have waited for the reviews. However I have been counting down the days for this release and didn't think twice about buying the game. I agree with the users they have strayed from the original game and the negative reviews are going to be pouring in!!! Wish they stuck to what made DAO great!!

Disappointing is all I can say to sum my experience with Dragon Age 2. For fans returning to the series be prepared for a shock because this is nothing like the Dragon Age Origins game you know and love.

There are quiet a few detrimental cutbacks that cripple the enjoyment of the game. The first is the storyline which is in three sequential acts and made up of many uninterestingDisappointing is all I can say to sum my experience with Dragon Age 2. For fans returning to the series be prepared for a shock because this is nothing like the Dragon Age Origins game you know and love.

There are quiet a few detrimental cutbacks that cripple the enjoyment of the game. The first is the storyline which is in three sequential acts and made up of many uninteresting sidequests, there is no longer any main goal or purpose to the story which paints Hawke as less of a hero and more of a skilled warrior that people dump their problems on .

The next flaw is that your adventure will most of the time will be spent in one city: Kirkwall. There is no spirit of adventure in Dragon Age 2 as you will see the same environments over and over again, which leads to the next point of the recycling of maps. I have never seen an rpg company worth its salt recycle maps to this extent, you will encounter the exact same maps with maybe a few doors locked or if in a cave a boulder in the way of some routes to change it up, but essentially it is the same map you saw maybe ten minutes ago. The next flaw is interaction, in Dragon Age 2 you no longer have the flexibility to say what you want as you had in Origins. You have three choices main choices most of the time which are peaceful, funny and aggressive, this leads to the same problems which were sometimes present in Mass Effect where you pick an option and your character says something you didn't want.

Another major flaw which really kills it for me is the lack of customisation, you have a few options to customise your character and you can change up his equipment, however party member clothes cannot be changed unless upgraded in a sequential and rigid fashion as well as having some equipment only a specific character can equip. There are quite a few other flaws but I would be typing the list out all day. In summary this is a very disappointing sequel from Bioware, I wouldn't even expect this standard from some other rpg developers. If you're on the fence about buying Dragon Age 2 save your money there are so many better rpgs out there.…Expand

The game is a major disappointment compared to the original. Dragon Age I felt at least somewhat close to the Baldur's Gate it claimed to be the spiritual successor to. On the other hand, DA2 imitates Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance, the ugly action RPG stepchild. Note: action RPGs suck when you have a party of four PCs with braindead AI. Just awful. I'm done with Bioware.

While I would like to create a long, fully elaborated review on the game to explain the core features and everything in depth, I honestly cannot, as the game is without much merit whatsoever.The combat took a system which felt unrefined in DA:O and rather that improving it and making it better, just completely ruined it to make a system without thought or challenge. Unless you're on hardWhile I would like to create a long, fully elaborated review on the game to explain the core features and everything in depth, I honestly cannot, as the game is without much merit whatsoever.The combat took a system which felt unrefined in DA:O and rather that improving it and making it better, just completely ruined it to make a system without thought or challenge. Unless you're on hard mode, there is nothing to discuss as far as combat goes, you may as well be watching a film.For which matter, the story is far, far below Bioware's standards. Ploddingly written with a conversation wheel that not only dumbs down decisions to their smallest parts with "GOOD BAD SILLY"~esque replies, but are poorly written as they are. Voice acting is a nice touch, however, though it's frequently done without emotion. I'd like to write more on the game, but after a mere few hours with it I honestly have no drive to play it any more. That didn't happen until Orzammar with DA:O.Graphics are an utter trainwreck. I'm not even going to go into this. Game outright bugs out, runs horribly or doesn't run at all, despite looking awful WITH an optional HD fix. Utterly pathetic showing on PC.If you want the game, do not buy it now. Wait for a sale or a GOTY version with a reduced pricetag. Putting out a game that's blatantly this unfinished and rushed in a year that has many, many blockbuster titles that look stellar is quite frankly a ludicrious move, and Bioware have proven in the past that they are better than this tripe.…Expand

Dragon Age II fails as a sequel to one of the greatest traditional styled RPGs of modern times.
Combat is a pseudo hack and slash RPG in betweener which just seems to be the worst of both worlds.
The dialog system has been vastly reduced. In Dragon Age: Origins all the choices had significant effects on the game world and at times were very difficult to make depending on your moralsDragon Age II fails as a sequel to one of the greatest traditional styled RPGs of modern times.
Combat is a pseudo hack and slash RPG in betweener which just seems to be the worst of both worlds.

The dialog system has been vastly reduced. In Dragon Age: Origins all the choices had significant effects on the game world and at times were very difficult to make depending on your morals and values which you wanted to instill or try and play out. In Dragon Age II its reduced to Generic Good, Generic Bad and la Troll answer (i.e. "I want to Be a Dragon" this is a real dialog option near the beginning of the game). There are even icons to signify if its good, bad and trolololol. Taking out any ounce of decision making on the player part apart from I want to be Good/Bad/Neutral.

The story is ok, but there are heaps of unnecessary arbitrary quests scattered mostly constists of kill x gather y or variations of which had little to no impact on the overall story where as Dragon Age: Origins almost everything had impact.

Graphics are acceptable. Characters are done quite well but everything else is blegh.

Music is not done well, it fits but doesn't stand out.

I don't recommend this game at all. Its simply shovelware. Play the original Dragon Age. It is a masterpiece. This sequel is not good enough at all.…Expand

A step back in every respect from Origins, if you enjoyed Origins, don't expect to enjoy this, it caters for a low tier of gamers, one day DLC is another slap in the face from a money grabbing company.

I don't want to be rude, but is a piece of ****No one in good shape wastes his time in this Action RPG. Because is not a RPG game, nor a action game.Graphically is mediocre. Some textures are great, the rest, 8 bits.
I think people who said the game is excellent, didn't play as a Warrior.
Did you see how Hawke cuts the air with that sword? First time I saw it, "lol".
For moments II don't want to be rude, but is a piece of ****No one in good shape wastes his time in this Action RPG. Because is not a RPG game, nor a action game.Graphically is mediocre. Some textures are great, the rest, 8 bits.

I think people who said the game is excellent, didn't play as a Warrior.Did you see how Hawke cuts the air with that sword? First time I saw it, "lol".For moments I forgot that it is Dragon Age and I think I'm playing Devil May Cry.

The game is decidely rushed as is apparent in repettitive scenery and combat, poorly fleshed out narrative with stereotypical characterization. It is basically the anti-thesis of what one expects from high quality RPG's from the company that used to set the bar themselves. Not only does the game itself have little merrit, the name behind it makes it all the more tragic. Poor show Bioware,The game is decidely rushed as is apparent in repettitive scenery and combat, poorly fleshed out narrative with stereotypical characterization. It is basically the anti-thesis of what one expects from high quality RPG's from the company that used to set the bar themselves. Not only does the game itself have little merrit, the name behind it makes it all the more tragic. Poor show Bioware, really hope you can step up your game.…Expand

Only went half through the game and already lost interest. Can't believe this game comes from bioware and is entitled "DA". The plot is not even decent, and all dialogues are plain & boring. Staring to worry the trend bioware is adopting and the future of DA series.

Generally a very bland and disappointing experience versus other "RPGs" and especially vs its legacy. This game is a linear shooter, barely an RPG and only very distantly related to the first game, Dragon Age Origins, a very strong traditional CRPG. It basically feels like a completely separate team was told to build a console shooter based in the Dragon Age universe. At its core DA2 aGenerally a very bland and disappointing experience versus other "RPGs" and especially vs its legacy. This game is a linear shooter, barely an RPG and only very distantly related to the first game, Dragon Age Origins, a very strong traditional CRPG. It basically feels like a completely separate team was told to build a console shooter based in the Dragon Age universe. At its core DA2 a very simple refined shooter: 1) you run from nondescript environment to the next, 2) spamming AOE attacks to deal with the same waves of enemies, and 3) running circles around tedious boss fights. This is not however an RPG by any stretch: 1) the story is almost non-existent (I'm in Act 2 and no clue), 2) there is no character development, 3) the skill trees are there, but given how streamlined combat is, there is no strategy involved, 4) only the main character inventory can be changed (other than weapons) limited. In summary: Overall: 4 (Gameplay: 5, Story: 3, Graphics/Sound: 6, Fun: 2). Replay value: 0…Expand

In short, waste of time and money. This game has no strong points whatsoever. Graphics is bland, environment is the same everywhere, at first interior of some houses looks nice but it becomes tedious cos you run through the same looking rooms over and over again (~20 or so times, not kidding). Dialogues are dumb and options you chose rarely change outcome. Quests are the worst I have everIn short, waste of time and money. This game has no strong points whatsoever. Graphics is bland, environment is the same everywhere, at first interior of some houses looks nice but it becomes tedious cos you run through the same looking rooms over and over again (~20 or so times, not kidding). Dialogues are dumb and options you chose rarely change outcome. Quests are the worst I have ever seen in a RPG. Even free to play MMORPGs have better quests than DA2. Battles are nice till you notice that mobs spawn like in some arcade game... You won't have to control your companions so tactics is pretty much gone. They had to stick with Hawke and ditch other 3 party members from the game entirely. Action game fans would have loved that even more! So yeah very bad game, Sadly It has way more weak points than I've mentioned in this review...…Expand

This game is awful parody of the first game. The depth of my dissapointment is very big. I feel like I was robbed. Seriously the wrote "Dragon Age" on the box which contains absolutely different game. Not RPG even. And Metacritic score is now compromised for me. It doesn't correlate to reality.

Having played to the end I can definitely say this is a step backward from the first game. While the original might have needed slight improvement many of the role-playing elements here are overly streamlined and are now lacking depth. The main problem for me though is the agonising repetition of locations which has held back any thought of going through the game a second time.I mightHaving played to the end I can definitely say this is a step backward from the first game. While the original might have needed slight improvement many of the role-playing elements here are overly streamlined and are now lacking depth. The main problem for me though is the agonising repetition of locations which has held back any thought of going through the game a second time.I might have given this a 5 if I had a better graphics card but then graphics in these types of games aren't that important.…Expand

I still do not believe in like Bioware sold out so well for EA, and transform one of the best RPGs of all time in a toxic **** like DA2 specially made based on the consoles, and the worst is that I played all versions and all are garbage.

If this is a game with some different name and from some new and unknown developer, then I would probably not even look at the game like this, and I would probably give it 2. But when game like this comes from Bioware, and it is named Dragon Age I would give it 0 because it is complete disappointment. Sad thing is that Bioware made their best game 10 years ago, and many people look to getIf this is a game with some different name and from some new and unknown developer, then I would probably not even look at the game like this, and I would probably give it 2. But when game like this comes from Bioware, and it is named Dragon Age I would give it 0 because it is complete disappointment. Sad thing is that Bioware made their best game 10 years ago, and many people look to get similar game from them. I think that anyone who want good rpg must look other way…Expand

This game is not an RPG, and it is not what we expected from the Dragon Age Franchise to develop in. It focus on combat and resembles more and adventure game, aimed at teens, that its predecessor, Origins. This game is a let down, and in certain way I'm happy they take over a new history, and not ruined the one builded back in Origins. The game es short, and dumbed down. Do your self aThis game is not an RPG, and it is not what we expected from the Dragon Age Franchise to develop in. It focus on combat and resembles more and adventure game, aimed at teens, that its predecessor, Origins. This game is a let down, and in certain way I'm happy they take over a new history, and not ruined the one builded back in Origins. The game es short, and dumbed down. Do your self a favor and don't buy it.…Expand

Reason it's getting such a High Critic review, E.A./Bioware are literally throwing money at them to write anything nice & give it high numbers. Trust the User's, we know how much this game failed us.

This game should never came out when it did, they just wanted to make money & be damned of the issues, they'll just throw more money at it, say look see have this great game, expect stupidReason it's getting such a High Critic review, E.A./Bioware are literally throwing money at them to write anything nice & give it high numbers. Trust the User's, we know how much this game failed us.

This game should never came out when it did, they just wanted to make money & be damned of the issues, they'll just throw more money at it, say look see have this great game, expect stupid awards for it, because more money is being thrown at the judges.

go play the witcher 2, punish bioware for this nonsense. copy paste everywhere, flemmeth talking crap without sense, horrible graphics, boring characters, horrible dialog tree, everyone is bisexual? (doesnt make sense, no discrimination here) and forced cammeos of all the DAO characters! everything in one place Dragon Age "2"............

Bring me the head of the guy who sanctioned the release of this one. A rush job and not much more. How some supposed professional reviewers are giving this game scores in the 80s or 90s is beyond me. I spent several hours doing tedious quests in order to fund an expedition to get......some more money. I think. Whilst doing said quests I was interrupted on a far too regular basis by hordesBring me the head of the guy who sanctioned the release of this one. A rush job and not much more. How some supposed professional reviewers are giving this game scores in the 80s or 90s is beyond me. I spent several hours doing tedious quests in order to fund an expedition to get......some more money. I think. Whilst doing said quests I was interrupted on a far too regular basis by hordes of easily despatched nobodies whose time would have been better employed raging against whoever dared call this an RPG. My character, his mind numbed by such repetitive combat, was then bamboozled by several overpowering outbreaks of deja vu, before being seduced by a rather bizarrely rendered elf who had pipe cleaners where her arms should have been. My character shrugged all this off, after all he had free will didn't he? He didn't have to do this. But some guy and some woman kept telling him how his life was planned out from the start and what will be, will be. Somehow he made some friends and they wanted to come along for the ride for no particular reason at all (maybe they thought I would be able to get them out of Kirkwall or perhaps even get them some new armour - sorry about that). Let's plod on. Or maybe let's not eh? This game fails to deliver on many things. It's biggest fans will be people who aren't legally old enough to play it. That's your choice Bioware. Fair enough. Goodbye.…Expand

Dragon Age II plays like WOW in sigleplayer. that is, it is a completely nobariner, there are no need to apply tactics, skills or or any thing like that. so if you are in for some point and click action, it looks good and plays well, if you were hoping for a great story, intelligent gameplay and a level of sofistication beyond tetris, then you would be wasting your money.

The only honest review I saw of this game from a pro was Adam Sessler (THANK YOU ADAM.) He kept it honest that it has a great story but the combat ruined it. Between the flashy animations that looked like the damn Power Rangers fighting grey faced goons to (speaking of the Power Rangers) how about that Rita Repulsa...I mean newly designed Flemeth?

Even past the initial stage its justThe only honest review I saw of this game from a pro was Adam Sessler (THANK YOU ADAM.) He kept it honest that it has a great story but the combat ruined it. Between the flashy animations that looked like the damn Power Rangers fighting grey faced goons to (speaking of the Power Rangers) how about that Rita Repulsa...I mean newly designed Flemeth?

Even past the initial stage its just Kirkwall...and limited dialog that does have some impact on the game...but the damn thing isn't long enough to really make you get into it. Only in the 3rd act does the story pick up.

We expect more from developer Bioware. The publisher EA? Not so much.…Expand

I had read previews for this game and although I was dubious coming in, I was still willing to give it a fair chance because I really enjoyed Dragon Age: Origins. I am extremely disappointed in the final result. I prefer to play the Infinity Engine RPGs and DA:O on the highest difficulties because of the challenge. The combat mechanics really haven't changed that much from DA:O, but theI had read previews for this game and although I was dubious coming in, I was still willing to give it a fair chance because I really enjoyed Dragon Age: Origins. I am extremely disappointed in the final result. I prefer to play the Infinity Engine RPGs and DA:O on the highest difficulties because of the challenge. The combat mechanics really haven't changed that much from DA:O, but the nightmare difficulty in DA2 is flat out broken. The encounters are the driest and most uncreative things I have experienced in an RPG in a long time. *Every* fight ends up with the initial group of enemies plus two to four waves of additional NPCs that materialize from nowhere. The fights become less an ability of tactics and more of an endurance battle where you are whittled down and praying that another wave of enemies isn't coming. Another major problem is the lack of an isometric camera. In the Infinity Engine games and DA:O, the camera was placed overhead which allowed easy command of your characters. In DA2, you do not have access to such a feature and targeting becomes an arduous event. It is apparent that this is a console game first and the PC version was merely an afterthought. The storyline is also disappointing. The game starts out in an unnamed mountain with characters we know nothing about and within fifteen minutes, something happens to a major NPC. I am guessing that Bioware wants us to feel sympathy during the event, but there is no way to have any sort of connection with the characters because you do not know them. The story is also supposed to take place during a ten year period, but there are jumps in time spanning several years and you never see any of the characters age, therefore you are left confused. Sadly, Dragon Age 2 is a product of Bioware being bought by a corporate giant and being forced to rush out a game and appeal to a specific demographic. The days of wonderful fantasy RPGs are long gone for this developer. I am in greatly disappointed that the creators of the finest RPG of all time has fallen from grace in a mere decade.…Expand

A rushed out game with tons of recycling and poor game design. Bioware is only trying to milk the franchise with this botched dung of crap.Running 4 times the same dungeon?2/3 of the game taking place in the same city?No crafting system?Who are you kidding, Bioware?

Dragon Age 2 is not a bad game; it just devolved into something that is unworthy of carrying the "Dragon Age" title and the burdens that comes with it. The previous game was a marvelous and a near-perfect take of what a next-gen RPG could be, probably not too great on the consoles, but its as true as an RPG gets on the PC. Fans of Origins have to lower their expectations or rather set itDragon Age 2 is not a bad game; it just devolved into something that is unworthy of carrying the "Dragon Age" title and the burdens that comes with it. The previous game was a marvelous and a near-perfect take of what a next-gen RPG could be, probably not too great on the consoles, but its as true as an RPG gets on the PC. Fans of Origins have to lower their expectations or rather set it accordingly, because to be honest, it's just that different.

I don't really like to compare games to other games and franchise, but I do compare them when it comes to sequels, because the purpose of a sequel is to surpass the previous one, and in this case Dragon Age 2 fails to please. It just feels like a different, less impressive franchise. The improvements are only a little bit on the graphics, I really do enjoy the faster pace of the battle, and the span of 10 years the story takes. That said, the rest is just regression, as Bioware erased away the defining feature of the previous game such as; customizable party member's equipment, multiple races to play, multiple endings, unique builds that you can come up with (such as dual-wielding arcane mage and warrior with bow), varying areas, and that is not all, unfortunately. I give it an honest score of 4, as it is less than a half of what Origins were. To be noted that this is not a rant of rage, its just a lament of a dissatisfied loyal fan of RPGs and Bioware itself as a great video game studio.…Expand

Im not a huge fan of last Bioware releases, i consider DAO a good game with something really interesting and something to be improved (like the menus,inventory, crafting, linearity and more), and the mass effect serie too, not masterpieces tbh for me, but anyway good, and different games.I was and i am i huge fan of old Bioware rpgs, as im a pc player and im no more a kid i remember and iIm not a huge fan of last Bioware releases, i consider DAO a good game with something really interesting and something to be improved (like the menus,inventory, crafting, linearity and more), and the mass effect serie too, not masterpieces tbh for me, but anyway good, and different games.I was and i am i huge fan of old Bioware rpgs, as im a pc player and im no more a kid i remember and i own every rpg with Bioware involved in, and i have to admit i prefer a lot the old titles, no doubt about it.This DAO2 prolly wanted to be a mix between DAO and Mass effect as idea, to be something fresh going to please more the console mass then the old style rpg geeks, at the end its all business.But the result im sorry will not please everyone im sure about it, on console you get nowadays much better action titles then this one, especially if you consider the graphics and average fps cant compete even with non so recent titles and also the market is crowded with action oriented games, and about the pc geeks there is nothing to tell, no one will even play this more then couple of hours, prolly less.Its a real shame to see Bioware involved in a project so damn crap like this one, this game is not a sequel of DAO, its just a laggy linear arcade with minor rpg elements programmed for consoles and badly ported to pc.At least it was more honest if they realized to skip the pc release and present this game as an arcade spin off of DAO, like it actually is.Its interesting btw to see how the "professional critics" are nowadays controlled by those majors, look at the scores... bah.Even if you consider this game a brand new only console game its couldn't get more then a score of 4/10.But as im talking about the PC version, dear DAO2 you deserve a full zero.…Expand

It`s not RPG. Primitive 2004 graphics, primitive linear locations, primitive dialogues, primitive slasher, uninteresting gameworld, uninteresting story, primitive 2-button gameplay for idiots... BioWare is now very fond of money, but do not like their gamers. This game is a clear example on how a company maximizes profits and minimizes costs using a brand name. Money, money, money... TheIt`s not RPG. Primitive 2004 graphics, primitive linear locations, primitive dialogues, primitive slasher, uninteresting gameworld, uninteresting story, primitive 2-button gameplay for idiots... BioWare is now very fond of money, but do not like their gamers. This game is a clear example on how a company maximizes profits and minimizes costs using a brand name. Money, money, money... The love of money has killed real RPG.…Expand

this game is mass game culture triumph:1..all game aspects are simplified - EA has to attract mass consumers2. game was made really fast - productivity is important3. Just about everything in this game feels as being below average due to above-mentioned; Playing this game is like eating Mcdonadl;s junk food; how about new term for this type of games - Mcgame? RIP Bioware

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view.
Being a fan of both Dragon Age Origins and the Mass Effect series I looked forward to this release with glee, but after completing Dragon Age 2 I am sorely disappointed with it. While at first the faster game play while in a battle was refreshing by the end of the game each battle felt hollow, in comparison with Origins each battle requires much less thought or strategy and I would often find myself simply pressing the same combination of number keys at the start of a battle, using a health potion if needed then repeating the same actions until the game decides weather it would send an additional 8 enemies into the fray after the first group had been dispatched or allow me to continue a quest. The game seemed content to throw a large army at the player simply for walking along a path between quest points and to do so at every possible opportunity, one stretch of road I remember would have taken the players group a mire 30 seconds to traverse unopposed but instead it took the better part of 10 minutes because the group was set upon by a band of undead, short distance up the road another pack of undead would attack and after they had been dispatched a third group of miscellaneous rouges decided there number was being served. I expect a game to throw a large group at the player once in awhile but must a quest involving the retrieval of a herbal plant or an unimportant crystal require the attention of a horde large enough to sack a moderately size town Every Time? The enemies the game presented me with end up not acting the part of a band of rebels or thugs intent on kidnap or slaughter of innocents but as pebbles in the bottom of my shoe, striped of character in my mind by the sheer tedium of having to fight the same groups of 7 or 14 enemies every turn of the corner to finally reach a bag containing ultimately worthless and trivial items. Dragon Age 2 shares more in common with an MMORPG than it does it's predecessor in that you will be spending a large amount of time doing fetch quests like returning a lost piece of clothing or freeing some damsel in distress until you reach some arbitrarily decided point where the main plot is allowed to resume. Dragon Age 2 greatest weakness is in the way it treats the story, while Origins had a somewhat cliche but warm over arching storyline, giving vaguely defined goal that slowly solidifies as you make progress, Dragon Age 2 there was very little to grip my attention or engage my curiosity, the game leads the player forward by glimpses of coming glory told from a future vantage point where the actions the player had taken or had suffered were judged and debated for there merits and sucked all mystery and opportunity of total surprise out the window, you were constantly made aware of what you would become and the story completely skipped so many of the small but vital aspects of storytelling. For those of you that have played DA2 Demo, I felt that the Hawke responded in a cold and matter of fact way to your siblings death no matter which conversation option you pick, that there was lack of effort from some of the voice actors and that sense that the event lacks in gravity never left my mind through the game, Bioware seems to have forgotten how to create realist characters that actually give the impression of life, all the companions conform to one trait of there character at all times, for example one companion will join you as an outcast of their people due to their one core trait and at the end of the game and personal quest line they carry and react the same way they had upon first meeting the player, caring for their people but never says anything if in the course of their quest line you end up killing their people or not, they just feel like a cardboard cutout and unfortunately this is not isolated. As for the main plot itself, I went from one major plot to the next without feeling any real need to do the involved quests because it is hard to feel that my main characters attempt to save up the money to Buy A House (Act 1; Hawke attempts to get on the property ladder.) is worthwhile after running fetch quests for pennies nigh on 4 hours. To boot the ending to the game had me questioning weather or not my characters moral choices had anyway bearing whatsoever on anything at all, aside that it all lead up to what was in essence a promotion for Dragon Age 3. Before this game had I asked myself what was the worse Bioware game I had ever played, I would probably not answer that question very well, And unless Dragon Age 2 is the beginning of a downward spiral, I can answer that question without thinking. fans of Origins story and lore should stay well clear of this game, and to anyone one else I'd say wait for a drop in the price.…Expand

Two words: huge disappointment. While DA2 by itself might not be too bad by console standards, but it's absolutely horrible and degraded sequel to one of the best CRPGs. I really regret my decision to preorder. Spending $60 not only didn't buy me a good game, but also I've just spent the money to encourage developers of this garbage.

Linear slasher with copy/paste locations :(. - Story is boring, only some times you will see something interesting (only few last moments).- no CG videos, only some "animated pictures" like in cheap games- Dialogs are boring
- Answer variants in dialogs doesn't affect anything
- party member relation (friend or foe) is fiction...
+ battles are dynamic, I finished game only because likedLinear slasher with copy/paste locations :(. - Story is boring, only some times you will see something interesting (only few last moments).- no CG videos, only some "animated pictures" like in cheap games- Dialogs are boring- Answer variants in dialogs doesn't affect anything- party member relation (friend or foe) is fiction...

+ battles are dynamic, I finished game only because liked battles+/- graphic is nice, but locations are lack of details it is not RPG, it is slasher with dialogs…Expand

Bioware threw in all the bad bits in DA:O and Mass Effect 2 in a blender and gave us this abortion they call Dragon Age II. If you want a game that makes you feel bad for wasting your time playing such a piece of garbage then listen to all those paid for reviews. I will warn you that your efforts to want to love the game because it's DA2 will be futile.

Now I truly fear for Mass Effect 3.Bioware threw in all the bad bits in DA:O and Mass Effect 2 in a blender and gave us this abortion they call Dragon Age II. If you want a game that makes you feel bad for wasting your time playing such a piece of garbage then listen to all those paid for reviews. I will warn you that your efforts to want to love the game because it's DA2 will be futile.

Now I truly fear for Mass Effect 3. I can't believe Bioware actually agreed to put its name behind this shoddy product and dared to call it a RPG.…Expand

Dragon Age 2. What could possibly have been more exciting than a new bioware rpg? True, I wasn't impressed with Mass Effect 2, but the changes in that game (stripped down inventory, character interaction, ammo, etc) still worked because Mass Effect was a new game and the changes felt right to what they were trying to create. Unfortunately, this same ideology does not apply to a game thatDragon Age 2. What could possibly have been more exciting than a new bioware rpg? True, I wasn't impressed with Mass Effect 2, but the changes in that game (stripped down inventory, character interaction, ammo, etc) still worked because Mass Effect was a new game and the changes felt right to what they were trying to create. Unfortunately, this same ideology does not apply to a game that is supposed to be primarily an RPG. Rpgs are a very hard creature to pin down. Somehanics then a lot of games become rpgs. More relevantly, according to Bioware, this includes games such as Call of Duty and Assassin's Creed, which by the way, are not rpgs in any sense of the word and unfortunately were used as models for DA2. My defense for this position is that you have no freedom in those games to create a character who is your own. The ending has been decided for you, who your character is has been decided for you, where they've come from has been decided, and where they're going has been decided. An rpg must allow for freedom in the universe and DA2 fails horribly at that.

My biggest problem with DA2 without thinking about it as an rpg is that combat is terrible. Yes, they "streamlined" it and it moves faster. But you know what the sped up version of tactical combat is? It's hack and slash. And the game becomes a hack and slash not because of the way combat is mechanically implemented, but because each battle in DA2 begins with maybe 4 or 8 people appearing out of thin air, and then when you've killed a certain number of them another 4 to 8 pop out of thin air. What this means is that there's no planning or positioning involved in combat as no matter what you do, there's just going to be more people popping up out of nowhere to deal with. Aggro doesn't work as well as it should, there's very little healing (and it all has huge 40-120 second cooldowns), and the best option for winning a fight is to spam aoe spells until everything is dead. The story isn't compelling. A huge part of the game is just you running around trying to get as much money as possible. This doesn't go away throughout any part of the game. In additon, the choices in the game aren't anywhere near as important as they were in any previous bioware titles. But the worst part about it is that there's no freedom to really choose. This an RPG, which means there must be a certain level of freedom. Well, when you've decided who my character is and what they're doing and how the story ends (there's only one ending) I don't really have much choice.

This game is not an rpg. It is an action adventure game. If the Dragon Age series was supposed to be an adventure game this game would be better, but unfortunately it is supposed to be the spiritual successor to BG2. and the sequel to Dragon Age Origins (hence why there is a 2 after the title). The fact that it fails to be an rpg is heartbreaking and leaves you out in the cold asking, how did things get like this?…Expand

Worst Bioware game ever. Balance is absent, RPG elements are generally absent. Some minor, yet sometimes strange improvements could not overcome the casual game play.

So in short:
1. It is not Dragon Age
2. It is generally not an CRPG
3. GUI absolute sucks. Looks much more like road sings than the fantasy RPG GUI
4. Game balance is awful
5. Most of the "improvements" are making the gameWorst Bioware game ever. Balance is absent, RPG elements are generally absent. Some minor, yet sometimes strange improvements could not overcome the casual game play.

So in short:1. It is not Dragon Age2. It is generally not an CRPG3. GUI absolute sucks. Looks much more like road sings than the fantasy RPG GUI4. Game balance is awful5. Most of the "improvements" are making the game close to unplayable 6. Game play is generally lame and way to casual for CRPG

Pointlessly removed the overhead "isometric" view from the PC version. Hacky, unmotivated writing and mediocre graphics. Cut and pasted quest areas. Bioware took a good but imperfect first game and turned it into a focus-grouped monster.

Listen, I have never taken the time to actually sit down and write a review for a game before, and I've been playing both PC and consoles for years. This game actually pissed me off to the point that I'm going to say something. I am actually angry I paid 60 bucks for this game. I have never complained about spending money on a game... even bad ones... ever.... and I bought NFL HeadListen, I have never taken the time to actually sit down and write a review for a game before, and I've been playing both PC and consoles for years. This game actually pissed me off to the point that I'm going to say something. I am actually angry I paid 60 bucks for this game. I have never complained about spending money on a game... even bad ones... ever.... and I bought NFL Head Coach! Who thought it was a good idea to make a sequel to a game by REMOVING content from it? Am I crazy? The story is fine, and just like Mass effect 2, I will finish the thing and just chalk it up to an expensive day at the movies, which this has basically been. I will not however play the game again. Once I know what happens in DA2, I will go back to Origins and start a new game, or maybe dig Neverwinter Nights out of a closet.A couple of bullets:+ I am not an RPG purist. The new talent trees is fine, I could care less about the DPS of a dual wield warrior vs Dual wield Rogue. The new COMBAT however, is ridiculous. Why does everyone turn to red jello? Why do I feel like im fighting waves of Foot Soldiers from the Teenage Mutant Ninja turtles arcade game? I thought the final battle of ME2 was stupid, but there isnt a single fight in this whole game that wasnt retarded. Why are people repelling from the rooftops? Why am I fighting random gangs of people every time I walk around at night? Who are these people? why are they angry? Why do they insist on fighting me if they are all dead after two swings of the sword?+Why is every environment I walk through identical to the last one? I actually read a forum post where a Dev said they removed the overhead view to allow for more detailed environments... ALL THREE OF THEM! WHAT A LOVELY WAREHOUSE! WHAT A LOVELY STREET! WHAT A LOVELY CAVE! I swear to god, on my last run through the same exact cave in the mountain I swear I saw Hawk yawn.+Why have three conversation options if they all have the same result? Why talk at all? chances are the person im talking to will be red pudding after one hit with the boom stick.+Why cant I choose my race? why cant I dress my team in the stuff I want? Better Question, WHY AM I PICKING UP LOOT THAT NO ONE CAN USE?!?! Just have everyone drop coin! why am I carrying junk?!!?+These things wouldnt bother me if the game title didnt have a "2" at the end of it. Why would you remove content from a game in the sequel? Why would you limit the options and level of involvement in a game THAT HAD IT IN THE FIRST INSTALLMENT. I heard the Dev's were streamlining the game because it sold well on consoles and they were appealing to that group. Did the console people ask for less of a game? Did anyone ever consider that the console people bought DAO because it had a lot of immersive elements that other games didnt have? again

I PAID MORE MONEY FOR LESS GAME. I would have posted this review on Biowares social site, but I dont want to have my accounts locked and game accounts voided for daring to criticize my betters.

the three points I gave this game are out of loyalty to the Bioware I once knew.…Expand

The Dragon Age franchise has been tossed into the corporate machinery and spat out as a bruised and crippled shell of its former self. The game manages to deliver a thoroughly mediocre and disappointing experience to both RPG and casual gaming fans alike.

The combat could possibly be the largest flaw with the game, however it is but one of many large flaws. Many skills and abilitiesThe Dragon Age franchise has been tossed into the corporate machinery and spat out as a bruised and crippled shell of its former self. The game manages to deliver a thoroughly mediocre and disappointing experience to both RPG and casual gaming fans alike.

The combat could possibly be the largest flaw with the game, however it is but one of many large flaws. Many skills and abilities present in DA: O which made the game an overly tactical, challenging and rewarding experience have been removed in favor of more 'exciting and fast paced' combat. In Dragon Age 2's case 'exciting and fast paced' equates into the mindless ability bashing. Combat now relies heavily upon 'wave' mechanics. Where instead of individual mobs of enemies the player will be bombarded by wave after wave of enemy turning an epic skirmish into a tedious exercise of endurance. Most side quests are trivial and generic which furthermore offer no further insight into the game world and hold little other responsibility other than keeping the player distracted for a few extra hours collecting X number of items..

The visuals have undergone an upheaval, yet surprisingly manages to look worse than its predecessor.The combat now resembles something out of a Devil May Cry game, rather than the style set in DA:O. The visceral and realistic style of Origins now replaced with an over sensationalized gratuitous flood of warrior aerobatics and bloody explosions. Many Caves, mountains, roads used again and again presumably due to constraints imposed by the soulless suits over in EA pushing for a speedy release and a fast cash-in. Dragon Age: Origins was a modern day throwback to classic RPG games: It incorporated engaging Tactical gameplay , interesting characters and appropriate use of dialog selection and an immersive fantasy setting imbued with a touch of gritty realism to provide a satisfying fantasy experience. Because of this the game was critically acclaimed and sold very well.Now letâ…Expand

This is game can not be termed as sequel to Dragon Age :Origins. Period. Normally I never write on public forums but the way DA series is being treated after such a great game like DA:O saddens me. Origins had it owns short comings but hey BIOWARE should have improved on them rather stripping Origins completely and making DA2 a hack & slash game with few rpg elements.Why I amThis is game can not be termed as sequel to Dragon Age :Origins. Period. Normally I never write on public forums but the way DA series is being treated after such a great game like DA:O saddens me. Origins had it owns short comings but hey BIOWARE should have improved on them rather stripping Origins completely and making DA2 a hack & slash game with few rpg elements.Why I am disappointed, - Re-used maps, I mean same place over and over again ? what happened to exploration ? -Communication System - hello this is rpg right ? so why is the interaction with npc so restricted ? how do I build relationships with them or actually feel anything, right now I dont feel or give a damn if any of the the companions live or die-Weapons,Crafting,Loot - You can not equip companions the way you want, damn restricted, the loot you get after killing seems meaningless ... Crafting .... well there isnt any !- Voice Over : Some may like it , some may not but this Hawke is not me or atleast certainly not my warden. I dont feel connected with this guy-Companions - well, the characters arent deep either, I mean really they are shallow, I feel like I am playing an action or adventure game not an RPG

Combat System : Well I must say it is more fluid and I liked it but they took it TOO FAR, this is not suppose to feel like HACK & SLASH game. They have almost killed the tactical aspects of the battles, which I hate it. It is not a shooter with swords... come on ! The combat is a mixed bag, you like some you dont like some things. I will take it with a pinch of salt

Verdict --- If you loved DA:O for what it was with its shortcomings - then you will hate DA2…Expand

this is the worst game made by bioware. graphics, animations, character design, dialogues...all i really crappy. if i wanted to play a action rpg, i would play diablo, but i expect MUCH more from bioware

No multiplayer, very short, HUGE amount of copy paste, allot less skills, allot less items, enchantment system could have been flushed out and made far better then it is, and worst of all this game will not have a toolset.

Greates devil's trick on players in history !!!!!I been playing rpgs for over 3decades an for WCgames Ut&Cs- so got got some exp with both forms of play(rpg+action). there is NO comment how dissapointing this CRAP is after DA game which i consider one of bestest rpg in gaming history since BG. i only created acount and write this to WARNN!!! all rpg players of this ABORTION of one ofGreates devil's trick on players in history !!!!!I been playing rpgs for over 3decades an for WCgames Ut&Cs- so got got some exp with both forms of play(rpg+action). there is NO comment how dissapointing this CRAP is after DA game which i consider one of bestest rpg in gaming history since BG. i only created acount and write this to WARNN!!! all rpg players of this ABORTION of one of bestest games in history!! Tthough real CRIME is that they advertise game as so great succesor of DA that i got signature version without doubt and any worry it would be. what i got is greatest RIPoff i can recall !!!!!Take heed in my advice if you are rpg player. for action players get dead space 2 or go for fine pvp like Leaugue of legends!!... ;D…Expand

Origins had a lot more epic and exciting story. Idea of putting story in one city, with 2-3 locations near it is really catastrophic. Combat is not that satisfying as it should be and inventory is awful. In Dragon Age Origins we didn't have so much restriction for armors and weapons like here. I was really surprised by that, but in the wrong way. Graphics, well, I can't complain too muchOrigins had a lot more epic and exciting story. Idea of putting story in one city, with 2-3 locations near it is really catastrophic. Combat is not that satisfying as it should be and inventory is awful. In Dragon Age Origins we didn't have so much restriction for armors and weapons like here. I was really surprised by that, but in the wrong way. Graphics, well, I can't complain too much about it because my graphic card doesn't allow me to experience high or medium quality settings. Characters...there's only one worth mentioning and that is Varric because it seems they only finished him and that the others were in work by the time game was out. Main character is finally voiced and it doesn't seem so dumb like in Origins, but I expected more. I really wanted to like this game, especially because it is from Bioware. But call of money and greed from EA made this game the biggest flop this year. I will give it a 4, only because it gave me 35 hours of gameplay and because the main character isn't so dumb. I really hope this won't happen again, this rushing and placing a half-finished product on the market with Mass Effect 3.…Expand

DA2 confirms the turn taken with ME2, this does not reassure the future of RPGs from this studio. Bioware is a turning point in its history, abandoning his philosophy to produce evoluted PC games for simplified console games (it is their right, no worries on that point, but Bioware must not hide behind the notion of RPG who died in this game).

DA2 is not an RPG, the story isDA2 confirms the turn taken with ME2, this does not reassure the future of RPGs from this studio. Bioware is a turning point in its history, abandoning his philosophy to produce evoluted PC games for simplified console games (it is their right, no worries on that point, but Bioware must not hide behind the notion of RPG who died in this game).

DA2 is not an RPG, the story is transparent, the city of Kirkwall is almost empty, spaces are duplicated (for reasons of economy ? Why ? It's a shame for this great studio), poor gameplay and poor level graph, strategic and tactical disappear, it is not worthy of Bioware (the bitter feeling of having a game not finish â…Expand

What reason do we have to believe Mass Effect 3 won't be given the same shoddy treatment as Dragon Age II? So disappointed. Bioware has bought into their own hype and is throwing their well-earned reputation into the proverbial toilet.

Everything I feared the game would become - Dragon Effect is in da house. It's like EA took the worst parts of both games and put it into one awful game. Simplied, linear gameplay. Way too many recycled maps. It feals like I'm playing someone else's character in someone else's game. Story is not epic, I mean why do I even care about "The Champion"? Combat is inspid. Rogues flyingEverything I feared the game would become - Dragon Effect is in da house. It's like EA took the worst parts of both games and put it into one awful game. Simplied, linear gameplay. Way too many recycled maps. It feals like I'm playing someone else's character in someone else's game. Story is not epic, I mean why do I even care about "The Champion"? Combat is inspid. Rogues flying 30 feet through the air. Warriors flitting around as if they had a rocket up the arse. Enemies exploding with one hit from a dagger. Super Jedi ninja combat. Dumb. It's like an interactive movie with some random things to do in between scenes. There is no challenge at all. Endless waves of cartoonish enemies that simply pop up out of nowhere. Everything that made DA:O good was stripped out. No redeeming qualities. A turd foisted upon the gaming public by EA.…Expand

This game is a shadow of its former self. The graphics look 5 years old and the gameplay is an absolute downgrade from the previous. The power tree is absolutely stupid. There is no way to change companion outfits. The story is lame and feels like a drag. There is also no toolset available at the moment and there is a very small chance they will ever release it as they want to go the ME2This game is a shadow of its former self. The graphics look 5 years old and the gameplay is an absolute downgrade from the previous. The power tree is absolutely stupid. There is no way to change companion outfits. The story is lame and feels like a drag. There is also no toolset available at the moment and there is a very small chance they will ever release it as they want to go the ME2 route and cash in on the DLCs rather than letting us create community content. If you were a DAO fan stay away from this absolute crappy excuse of a sequel.…Expand

Dragon Age 2 is a rushed game. That's not an opinion, the game released in a ridiculously short amount of time, and Bioware staff have commented on the rush (look for articles on Kotaku and elsewhere about this). To put this in perspective though, a little bit about the first game:
Dragon Age: Origins was Bioware's atttempt to create a new fantasy IP which they couldWhere to begin?

Dragon Age 2 is a rushed game. That's not an opinion, the game released in a ridiculously short amount of time, and Bioware staff have commented on the rush (look for articles on Kotaku and elsewhere about this). To put this in perspective though, a little bit about the first game:

Dragon Age: Origins was Bioware's atttempt to create a new fantasy IP which they could control. Meant to be a spiritual successor to Baldur's Gate (a Forgotten Realms property, Dungeons and Dragons/alignments/classes/etc.), they stated upfront their desire to have a grittier, darker, and less fantastical fantasy. They spoke influence by George R.R. Martin's series (A Song of Ice and Fire), and said they didn't want it to be the sort of the world where things can be explained away in a "a wizard did it" sort of fashion (avoid death not being permanent, have magic grounded as far as what it makes possible.. and relatively more rare).

The game they released was solid, and went on to be very popular. Bioware has typically been known for strong stories, and the tale in DA:O succeeded greatly on a few levels. The titular origins allowed players to start their PC among any of three races, with a possible three different classes. The origins stories were all different, and served to personalize the world for the player - tell what being a "city elf" or a "dwarven noble" is about. The story itself was reasonably flexible about where and what order you did things, with every area having at least one major choice that would have "some" impact on later events. The characters were both well-voiced and written.

The game was iffy in some aspects too. The origin stories, while fantastic, often were poorly followed-up on in the remaining story. For instance, a betrayal of your family might amount to little when you return home later, making being "blase" your only "choice" about something like... murder, when the game regularly lets you kill people for very petty reasons. In the end, they just weren't as integrated as they could've been. The combat attempted to replicate the feel of commanding multiple units in a similar fashion to Baldur's Gate on the PC, however this wasn't practical for non PC players. So, the combat on consoles wound up more bastardized with awkward bits like repeated pathing errors and a seemingly slow pace for something that had an "action-type" camera. It was a still a good game, the dark atmosphere was well-done, and the world was realized.

DA:2 would ideally have fixed and expanded on the first game (isn't that what we all hope for in a sequel?). Indeed, there seems to have been attempt to rectify the combat, but the result was not to make it more tactical or responsive - rather, they attempted to speed things up and make it more Action RPG, more "extreme". Difficulty in the 2nd title seems to be more about throwing massive numbers of troops at you, rather than better scripted encounters (ergo: rushed in both planning and balancing). The pathing frustration is removed, but the resulting combat is mindless and dull.

The earlier complexity of the origins has been dropped altogether, the player is given exactly one "origin": you will always be a human member of a specific family; with your class playing little role in your background. To be clear, they went from 6 possible starting stories to 1. You can change your gender and class.

Aside from the origins, the world and story are just generally more shallow and less-developed. The darker more detailed graphics of the first title have been traded for a more cartoonish style this time around, which gels poorly with the gritty world they attempt to convey. The Darkspawn (a series bogeyman) manage to look LESS menacing, dropping pointed teeth for flat ones, and getting a more even skintone. The story-telling is more trite and less-engaging. The magic and abilities have been made more ridiculous and over the top; a far cry from the "realism" that was seemingly championed in the first title. The ability to customize your companions has been dramatically restricted. You no longer outfit them. They removed the ability to talk to your companions at any time, inquiring about their past.. it only happens at set points now. You revisit the same areas over and over again, with the same map even. The maps wind up being pointless as what is currently the "visitable" area in the "new" area is never marked off.. you always see the same map. Your character simply lacks the agency they seemed to in previous game. In opting for a voiced Main Character, they seemed to have restricted your conversation options, relatively.

This game isn't the worst game ever, but it's horribly shoddy for a huge budget studio known for great RPGs. It's a slap in the face to the lore and world created the first time as well.…Expand

This game in crap. No exploration, tons of bugs, tons of more bugs, awful difficulty calibration, crappy graphics. They made this game in few months just because EA command it!It's turned to a great rpg to a casual action rpg.

Dragon Age 2 is a huge step back from the first game. While you get to explore a whole country, with lots of different scenarios, and do all sorts of different missions on the first game, here you will only visit half a dozen places and only do missions that feel like side quests. There are 2 things that I thought were improvements, the main character with a voice is one, and the newDragon Age 2 is a huge step back from the first game. While you get to explore a whole country, with lots of different scenarios, and do all sorts of different missions on the first game, here you will only visit half a dozen places and only do missions that feel like side quests. There are 2 things that I thought were improvements, the main character with a voice is one, and the new combat system, but the combat itself wasn't very well explored. It is too predictable, and there is no variation with the enemies. The main plot is very week, it gets interesting in the last 2-3 hours of the game, .. but the rest is simply there to fill some space (so about 30 hours of filling) The developers obviously rushed this project, and the game just looks like it was made by lazy people. Rings that are just called "ring" but with different specs, "belt", etc.

overall the experience isn't terribly bad, but it's not up to DA:O standards and not up to bioware's reputation.... I find it hard to believe that bioware thought this was a good game to release.…Expand

Completely awful in every way imaginable. Avoid like the plague. And yes, I have beaten it, and it is an experience I am not likely to ever repeat. Please bring on Witcher 2 to wash this nightmare from my mind.

It is too bad they removed some of the KEY RPG elements. The game is more of a Mortal Combat hack and Slash with stats now. The Sole has been ripped from DA and now all that is left is a shallow button masher.

It is so sad that consoles ruined another great game. DA:O was amazing, good thing Elder Scrolls is coming out this year. I do not recommend DA2 if you like in-depth old schoolIt is too bad they removed some of the KEY RPG elements. The game is more of a Mortal Combat hack and Slash with stats now. The Sole has been ripped from DA and now all that is left is a shallow button masher.

It is so sad that consoles ruined another great game. DA:O was amazing, good thing Elder Scrolls is coming out this year. I do not recommend DA2 if you like in-depth old school RPG's. If you like an action game, then you may like it.…Expand

Baldur's Gate 2 was one of my favorite games. I thought Dragon Age: Origins came close enough to being its spiritual successor as advertised, and I enjoyed that game for what it was, but Dragon Age 2 is as far from being a successor to the Baldur's Gate series as possible. It was just painful to play for so many reasons. Graphically, they somehow managed to make it appear even worse thanBaldur's Gate 2 was one of my favorite games. I thought Dragon Age: Origins came close enough to being its spiritual successor as advertised, and I enjoyed that game for what it was, but Dragon Age 2 is as far from being a successor to the Baldur's Gate series as possible. It was just painful to play for so many reasons. Graphically, they somehow managed to make it appear even worse than its predecessor (not saying DA:O was bad graphically, but it certainly was groundbreaking in that aspect). The combat is now a mindless button masher, obviously tailored to please console players, because it ends up just being frustrating on the PC, only aggravated by the clunky camera. The formulaic dialogue and the cliche story are so inept in this one that it makes me want to stab furniture. Apparently BioWare were just looking for a quick cash-in. I'm definitely not buying Dragon Age 3 when it comes out (and it will, because their greediness knows no bounds).…Expand

EA is starting to show through the Bioware veneer, this is not a game of "traditional" Bioware quality but your typical EA "shovelware". A re-skinned and neutered DA:O pushed out the door as a cash infusion into EA's portfolio just in time for Q1 reporting.

The claims that EA would be hands off for on developers like Bioware and other is of course bunk. IP's get stripped as EA pumps outEA is starting to show through the Bioware veneer, this is not a game of "traditional" Bioware quality but your typical EA "shovelware". A re-skinned and neutered DA:O pushed out the door as a cash infusion into EA's portfolio just in time for Q1 reporting.

The claims that EA would be hands off for on developers like Bioware and other is of course bunk. IP's get stripped as EA pumps out sequel after sequel cashing in on usually solidly established franchises. By the time the fans of the respective franchise wake up, they have already moved on and you are stuck with a series of games who's quality is inversely proportional to the "series number". The higher the number, the lower the quality.

EA is not any better than it was 5 years ago, the difference was they purchased a bunch of new developers who were hot and they "claimed" to have changed their ways. Please.

How's it feel Bioware to be the latest EA sellout patsys? Way to flush your reputation down the drain.

DA2 is a shadow of what DA:O was, and DA:O was a fraction of what NWN was.

DA:2 is a simplistic and linear hack and slash that has been trimmed down so you can roll your face across the keyboard and achieve "Profit!". There is no depth in deploying tactics, hell, tactics? What are those? The game has been made significantly easier (from an already easy franchise) so to cater to the lowest common denominator. The narrative is forced and poorly executed, it feels like I am witnessing 7 year-olds perform a truncated Richard III. Great for the few parents of the 7 year-olds, the rest of us find it infantile.

Gameplay is button mashing and more button mashing. AI is below par and the graphics/landscape is repetitive and feels pulled from 2002, 2003. The graphics aren't bad, per say, but they aren't pushing any envelopes, or melting any systems. Developing for consoles only then making **** ports over to PC isn't winning you any beauty contests EA-ware.

Tell you what guys, maybe Bioware is passed it's prime, maybe you should all liquidate and move your assets over to the Madden house, you know, where all mediocre developers go to be forgotten.…Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view.
epic fail. game is really stupid and knee-made. The recipe is simple: copy-past and nothing more. No more story, no more characters. Just simle lots of neverendin' respoun…Expand

It's a big shame to see a studio that was responsible for legendary titles like Baldur's Gate or Neverwinter Nights releasing such a disgraceful title called Dragon Age 2. Generic combat, annoying cutscenes with cheesy dialogs, limited role-playing elements, closed maps - where is freedom I ask? I can't believe that major gaming sites rated this game so well. I can only think of sponsoringIt's a big shame to see a studio that was responsible for legendary titles like Baldur's Gate or Neverwinter Nights releasing such a disgraceful title called Dragon Age 2. Generic combat, annoying cutscenes with cheesy dialogs, limited role-playing elements, closed maps - where is freedom I ask? I can't believe that major gaming sites rated this game so well. I can only think of sponsoring articles... Game just got released and we have DLC already - laughable. Making money on well-known IP, that's all. It's sad.…Expand

I expected much more from Bioware... DAO was a great RPG, i've finished it 8 times, but DA2 - this is miscarriage from game industry. So, we have a stupid boring hack'n'slash (it's enough to press 1,2,3,4,5 on 'nightmare' difficulty - no tactics at all!) with some castrated rpg elements. Locations are absolutely dead - a labyrinths with couple of boxes containing trash and some uselessI expected much more from Bioware... DAO was a great RPG, i've finished it 8 times, but DA2 - this is miscarriage from game industry. So, we have a stupid boring hack'n'slash (it's enough to press 1,2,3,4,5 on 'nightmare' difficulty - no tactics at all!) with some castrated rpg elements. Locations are absolutely dead - a labyrinths with couple of boxes containing trash and some useless neutral npc's. Additional quests are awful - 'go there, kill somebody, come back', repeat couple of hundred times or until uninstall the game. Battles become schizophrenic because of respawn - killing last enemy from previous wave - a new wave appears just from air. There's also still a lot of bugs. This game is the biggest disappointment of the year. Possible target audiens - kids 8-12 years old for not to overstrain their fragile brains.I've bought DAO, but i already regret a lot of times about downloading this cracked "game" from torrents. The only thing it's worthy - uninstallation as soon as possible.…Expand

Dragon Age 2 is a disappointing sequel to one of the best cRPG games of all time (Dragon Age: Origins). DA2 fails on many levels. I'll pick two reasons: 1) recycled content. Numerous bland quests send you back to the save cave, warehouse, or sandy beach over and over again. 2) tactics have been removed. Tactical combat has been replaced with a fast-paced hack & slash system. On the plusDragon Age 2 is a disappointing sequel to one of the best cRPG games of all time (Dragon Age: Origins). DA2 fails on many levels. I'll pick two reasons: 1) recycled content. Numerous bland quests send you back to the save cave, warehouse, or sandy beach over and over again. 2) tactics have been removed. Tactical combat has been replaced with a fast-paced hack & slash system. On the plus side, the game is very stable.…Expand

This game is such a wasted potential. Bioware made a fortune off of preorders of fans of the original knowing full well that by over-streamlining the game and the pervasive console first attitude they would only alienate those fans. This game looks and sounds better than Orgins but that isn't what I want out of a PC rpg, I want a massive world, mountains more stats, the ability to seeThis game is such a wasted potential. Bioware made a fortune off of preorders of fans of the original knowing full well that by over-streamlining the game and the pervasive console first attitude they would only alienate those fans. This game looks and sounds better than Orgins but that isn't what I want out of a PC rpg, I want a massive world, mountains more stats, the ability to see background calculations as they are happening and mod friendly design. Once again consoles **** things up for PC gamers who want a product that utilizes their machines full capabilities.…Expand

As a side note before I start this, NO, this game did not live up to my expectations, but I am trying to judge this game as a standalone, and not as a successor to DAO. We should look at "What is" instead of "What could have been" or "What's not".

Anyways, first and foremost, i'm not a fan of the gameplay change in the slightest. Too point-and-click-esque for me. Some people like thatAs a side note before I start this, NO, this game did not live up to my expectations, but I am trying to judge this game as a standalone, and not as a successor to DAO. We should look at "What is" instead of "What could have been" or "What's not".

Anyways, first and foremost, i'm not a fan of the gameplay change in the slightest. Too point-and-click-esque for me. Some people like that play style, but I certainly don't. The combat is fun but simple. Not complicated, not intricate, not detailed, just simple.

The graphics are fine. They could be a little bit better, but I'm not letdown or anything by them.

The dialogue is just morbidly terrible. It seems like they spent about 2 seconds writing each of the lines without even brainstorming or giving them any thought (AT ALL!). They are really shallow; you can tell almost no thought was put into it.

The CGI is cool I guess. A little much of it, but when i'm high it gives me something to look at.

All-in-all, not a game I connect with at all, but fun for a short amount of fun before I move into something more enthralling.…Expand

Having played Dragon age origins I'm sorry to say that this game is shockingly bad. Dragon age 2 is a game without a soul. It drops all pretense as a rich, character driven RPG in exchange for needlessly flashy combat animations.

The game is enjoyable if you want to watch endless waves of goons explode for 40 hours. Otherwise you might as well use the DA2 cd as a very expensive drinksHaving played Dragon age origins I'm sorry to say that this game is shockingly bad. Dragon age 2 is a game without a soul. It drops all pretense as a rich, character driven RPG in exchange for needlessly flashy combat animations.

The game is enjoyable if you want to watch endless waves of goons explode for 40 hours. Otherwise you might as well use the DA2 cd as a very expensive drinks coaster.…Expand

DA2 has value as a game. That value, however, is heartbreakingly destroyed when viewed in light of it being a sequel to DAO. Others have listed its faults, but I would like to point out that the game makes the most rookie DM mistake there is; it *tells* you instead of *showing* you.EA may have ruined Bioware. I hope not, but I will not buy another Bioware product without first checkingDA2 has value as a game. That value, however, is heartbreakingly destroyed when viewed in light of it being a sequel to DAO. Others have listed its faults, but I would like to point out that the game makes the most rookie DM mistake there is; it *tells* you instead of *showing* you.EA may have ruined Bioware. I hope not, but I will not buy another Bioware product without first checking the reviews.…Expand

I actually do like the reactivity of the combat now ( it feels much faster and smoother), but outside of that it feels like a downgrade in everyway. Basically they decided to limit my choices in every avenue that they should have been expanding them.
I actually like equipping my companions and choosing what they are using in orderPretty much stripped everything out of DA:O that I liked,

I actually do like the reactivity of the combat now ( it feels much faster and smoother), but outside of that it feels like a downgrade in everyway. Basically they decided to limit my choices in every avenue that they should have been expanding them.

I actually like equipping my companions and choosing what they are using in order to tailor the party to my needs.

I enjoy picking crafting classes.

Not having the isometric pullback camera is just a freaking joke.

Using the same "cave" for every mission, or the same layout of every building is just pathetic. Gaming should be about options. If you wanted to make a game that was more "Accessible" that is fine, create toggle switches. Let those of us who actually enjoy the details have them, let people who don't want to worry about it turn those options off. Seriously this feels like a step backward in so many areas it is hugely disappointing.…Expand

This is ridiculous. The scores metacritic has listed for this game are nowhere near accurate, as evidenced by user reviews. The story is ridiculous... I don't even understand why people are traveling with me. The main quest is short, devoid of story and back-story, and to make matters worse I suddenly am having intercourse with two females at the same time. I don't even know them; I don'tThis is ridiculous. The scores metacritic has listed for this game are nowhere near accurate, as evidenced by user reviews. The story is ridiculous... I don't even understand why people are traveling with me. The main quest is short, devoid of story and back-story, and to make matters worse I suddenly am having intercourse with two females at the same time. I don't even know them; I don't even remember hitting on them.The combat is ridiculously easy, even on Nightmare difficulty. Bosses can be kited (as in, you can run around in circles over and over again and they will never catch you) as your friends continually shoot them, essentially making every boss nonexistent. For combat, all you have to do is rack up as much damage output as physically possible and nuke EVERYTHING. And by everything, I mean waves and waves of random people who are attacking me for reason unknown. I'll just be running a little errand for some guy in exchange for money, and SUDDENLY 50 people will charge out of nowhere to prevent me from delivering an old man his medicine (I made up that scenario as to prevent spoilers).I am not usually one to care about graphics (especially considering I still play 8-bit games), but in all seriousness this game makes me feel like I am playing on a Nintendo 64. And that's not saying the N64 was bad, it's just very old. Every character seems to be colored in a poorly textured splash of blood at all times, and it's just not realistic. Speaking of realism, every character seems to have 100 pound swords that they swing around like baseball bats, which seems a little lame. I'm going to stop here; as I write I am continually lowering the score I am giving this game, and so I should stop before it gets down to 1 for the sake of Bioware.…Expand

Waste of time and money, shouldn't be labeled as an RPG, more of an action/adventure hack & slash... Loved DAO, so disappointed with this game:( Why would you take perfectly good game and ruin it? for a quick profit that's why

This game is a massive downgrade from the original. Tactical camera is missing, enemies respawn in waves making player positioning essentially worthless for most fights, dungeon maps are recycled, player companions can not equip any armor you find which makes acquiring new gear mostly a case of selling gear to vendors, the non combat trade skills have been removed (granted many wereThis game is a massive downgrade from the original. Tactical camera is missing, enemies respawn in waves making player positioning essentially worthless for most fights, dungeon maps are recycled, player companions can not equip any armor you find which makes acquiring new gear mostly a case of selling gear to vendors, the non combat trade skills have been removed (granted many were pointless but I would have preferred something different rather than complete removal), the Mass Effect style dialogue wheel is stupid, forcing the player into one role takes away quite a bit from the experience of the first, higher difficulty settings result in a kite fest rather than actual strategy, DLC content marketed AT LAUNCH and extra items given out for crap like "LIKING DRAGON AGE IN FACEBOOK" which makes a pirated copy of this game more convenient than just buying that game on STEAM since you won't have to jump through hoops to get the extras you want. I'm not sure if I could have been any more disappointed by this game. Terrible! I was hoping for another game similar to Baldur's Gate and I ended up with what feels like a crappy console port.…Expand

Critics, wow 80+ review average.
Us poor saps that believe them and have to spend money on the game 60- review and that is probably only because of people voting 100% for no reason other than Love of the dev's previous work.
Personally combat is terrible- stats, skills, crafting all useless. There are no tactics required. The Story and characters are poor to laughable, don't even getCritics, wow 80+ review average.
Us poor saps that believe them and have to spend money on the game 60- review and that is probably only because of people voting 100% for no reason other than Love of the dev's previous work.

Personally combat is terrible- stats, skills, crafting all useless. There are no tactics required. The Story and characters are poor to laughable, don't even get me started on the childish "romances".. And honestly I've said enough, not wasting anymore time on this abomination.…Expand

Designed by focus group. By trying to appeal to as wide an audience as possible, Bioware has created game that never really develops it's own personality. Utterly forgettable, DA2 tries in vain to be darker, edgier and sexier, but only succeeds in trying too hard. The violence is bloody, the "sexiness" is a bit blatant and ham-handed, all the while giving the impression that behind theDesigned by focus group. By trying to appeal to as wide an audience as possible, Bioware has created game that never really develops it's own personality. Utterly forgettable, DA2 tries in vain to be darker, edgier and sexier, but only succeeds in trying too hard. The violence is bloody, the "sexiness" is a bit blatant and ham-handed, all the while giving the impression that behind the scenes is a 40-something game director saying "this is what the kids want, right?" Rather than focus on making a solid, entertaining game, Bioware tried to include all things for all gamers. They have created a game with something for everyone, but not enough for any one group to enjoy the experience.…Expand

Fans of RPGs will find this a huge disappointment. It's falsely-advertised and very dumbed down in order to appeal to a younger audience.

There's little good to be said. And there's a lot of bad things to known. Sadly, truth hurts.
The most noticeable change lies in combat. It's faster, grittier, more responsive and... not very tactical. I kept using the very same tactic throughout theFans of RPGs will find this a huge disappointment. It's falsely-advertised and very dumbed down in order to appeal to a younger audience.

There's little good to be said. And there's a lot of bad things to known. Sadly, truth hurts.

The most noticeable change lies in combat. It's faster, grittier, more responsive and... not very tactical. I kept using the very same tactic throughout the game the whole. 'Cause it was the fastest way to slay my foes. It involved having one melee unit (in this case a warrior specialized in two-handed combat) and 3 ranged units (one, preferably a healer). It's simple. I would let the A.I. control the warrior, he jumped into the fray and did whatever he wanted - Gathering the attention of my enemies. At the same time I would have all my 3 units selected at all times. And order to them to focus fire on the same target and when it dies, move onto the next target. Most often combat lasted less than a minute using this method - It was very dull.

But what about the story? I can tell you it's great, though disappointing. It's a lot like the one in Mass Effect 2. Dragon Age 2 lacks a real [visible] plot. Instead you'll follow Hawke and company for years in the city of Kirkwall. While playing, it will feel like a giant side quest, that contains side quests. It's not too bad, as there's a lot of good moments in the game, some that comes completely unexpected, depending on your relationship to your companions. The ending is however very disappointing and makes the game seem like a pro-logue.

The visuals are mostly dull. There's very little to be seen and the animation is stiff and awkward, which is strange seeing how we've had, and it still is, outstanding animation in games that was released in the early 2000s. And there's a total of 3-4 dungeons in the game that you will be visiting, over and over and over again (in side quests). AND THE BLOOD IS STILL AWKWARDLY APPLIED TO YOUR CHARACTERS FACES.

To summarize the whole game. It traded in the strategic and tactical thinking that Dragon Age: Origins had for a hack'n KITE and some slash game. Story is hidden and it will feel like a side quest, but you'll go "ah" when it's all revealed and probably disappointed. The interactions between you and your companions are better than ever. But even that won't save the game from it's flaws.

5/10. Bioware made the same mistakes in Mass Effect 2. Which you'd think they learned anything from. But it couldn't be further from truth. They are forsaking the RPG players tactical play, characters customization and much more in order to appeal to none-RPG players.…Expand

Let me just start this by saying that Bioware games are usually pure gold. USUALLY. Dragon Age Origins was a well crafted RPG with great elements that far outweighed its many flaws. I cannot say the same for Dragon Age 2. I started the game thinking that I would be able to play it entirely maxed out graphically, after all, I more than exceed the recommended secs. When ramping up theLet me just start this by saying that Bioware games are usually pure gold. USUALLY. Dragon Age Origins was a well crafted RPG with great elements that far outweighed its many flaws. I cannot say the same for Dragon Age 2. I started the game thinking that I would be able to play it entirely maxed out graphically, after all, I more than exceed the recommended secs. When ramping up the graphics to very high with anti aliasing on, the game slows to a meager 11 frams per second with artifacts being rendered during combat. I can run Bad Company 2 on full specs, why can I not run this game that looks like it came from the PS2 era? Poor optimization because the game is rushed.

AND IT SHOWS. Not only in the graphics but in the discontinuity within the story, the poor writing, and the shallow combat system. Sure, everyone TOTALLY jumps around and does SUPER COOL things now to appeal to all the edgy teenagers out there, but most of the combat is horribly overdone. This can vary from the main character doing leaping lunges that you had nothing to do with, to enemies EXPLODING when I stab them with a basic ability. All in all, this game has been a huge disappointment. Between the rushed look and style of the game, the poor combat, the sub par writing and story, the awful optimization for PC, and the constant nickel and diming of day one DLC, this is one title you NEED to stay away from.…Expand

The Dragon Age story has lost it's soul with this console-implementation. It's incredibly dumbed down, and feels like a simplified game you would expect on an iPhone or mobile device. While the graphics are indeed amazing, the voice acting fine and the interface slick - it's just disappointing. The unusually high average scores from professional "reviewers" just shows how large the divideThe Dragon Age story has lost it's soul with this console-implementation. It's incredibly dumbed down, and feels like a simplified game you would expect on an iPhone or mobile device. While the graphics are indeed amazing, the voice acting fine and the interface slick - it's just disappointing. The unusually high average scores from professional "reviewers" just shows how large the divide between commercial expectations and end-user expectations really are.…Expand

Interview with the man behind DA:O and DA2's score. Guess what he said in an unrelated question?

"Unlike other titles from Bioware, this score was kind of a rush job. EA really wanted to capitalize on the success of Origins, so the game was really being pushed hard to be released now" My opinion:
Abysmal cookie-cutter, **** fantasy world and characters. Everything is bland, the area's,Interview with the man behind DA:O and DA2's score. Guess what he said in an unrelated question?

"Unlike other titles from Bioware, this score was kind of a rush job. EA really wanted to capitalize on the success of Origins, so the game was really being pushed hard to be released now" My opinion:Abysmal cookie-cutter, **** fantasy world and characters. Everything is bland, the area's, the details, the conversations, the voices, the enemies. This game lacks ' soul'.…Expand

Dragon Age 2 is RPG lite. A significant amount of what made the first game, Dragon Age: Origins, endearing has been either removed or watered down. Combat is unfulfilling, it is very difficult to lose. Battles are won by keyboard mashing, not tactical planning. The synergy between the Classes has been decreased, and you are left with the feeling that your party members are onlyDragon Age 2 is RPG lite. A significant amount of what made the first game, Dragon Age: Origins, endearing has been either removed or watered down. Combat is unfulfilling, it is very difficult to lose. Battles are won by keyboard mashing, not tactical planning. The synergy between the Classes has been decreased, and you are left with the feeling that your party members are only following you to provide comic relief. However, even their comedy is no relief. The dialogue in DA II is stilted and the characters are poorly developed. In many cases, the main character's dialogue options are reduced to oversimplified stereotypical one liners. Oh, don't worry if you lack basic communication skills and cannot discern the meaning of simple phrases, DA II tells you when the main character is joking or serious. Bioware no doubt attempted to create something greater than Origins. Sadly, the changes they made to the original were unnecessary or poorly executed. DA II feels like a B-rate movie. After the novelty fades away, you will want your money back.…Expand

I'm too tired to be angry any more...Now I'm just sad. It's fun...kinda. But it is a gesture of disloyalty to the avid fans of Bioware. It's basically Dynasty Warriors meets the Dragon Age Universe. And the lore IS the absolute only reason I'm playing this game. I'm going to hold out on condemning Bioware. They are my favorite gaming company and I really hope they get the message that theI'm too tired to be angry any more...Now I'm just sad. It's fun...kinda. But it is a gesture of disloyalty to the avid fans of Bioware. It's basically Dynasty Warriors meets the Dragon Age Universe. And the lore IS the absolute only reason I'm playing this game. I'm going to hold out on condemning Bioware. They are my favorite gaming company and I really hope they get the message that the people who have been buying their games year in year out are hurting right now. I understand companies make money, that's what they do but this is not going to gain them the popularity vote. I mean, Jesus Christ look at the damn user metacritic score! Hell, look at the critic score, 8.3 for a contemporary Bioware game? That's the first time in a while that a Bioware game wasn't automatically slated for a nomination in all of those RPG of the year titles. Truth is, I love you Bioware...And I have to believe that you won't cheat on me with those Australipithicene Afarensis console gamers anymore but...OH MY GOD YOU'RE A WHORE!!!! (crying ensues)…Expand

As someone who deeply enjoyed DA:O, I am immensely disappointed by this sequel. Dragon Age 2 is inferior to its predecessor in basically every way. And how Bioware manged to even implement worse graphics than DA:O is completely beyond me. Ratings are always subjective but if you see game reviewers give this game a 10/10 praising its superior graphics .. you cant help but wonder how much ofAs someone who deeply enjoyed DA:O, I am immensely disappointed by this sequel. Dragon Age 2 is inferior to its predecessor in basically every way. And how Bioware manged to even implement worse graphics than DA:O is completely beyond me. Ratings are always subjective but if you see game reviewers give this game a 10/10 praising its superior graphics .. you cant help but wonder how much of this praise came directly from EA itself.

My rating of 0 does not reflect the game's quality. Metacritic's (as of now) user score of 3.0 does not reflect the quality either. Merely, we as fans are severely disappointed in the delivery and intent of Dragon Age II and are expressing it accordingly. If I were to be honest with myself, I'd probably give it a 6/10, which is still fairly horrible.

Here's the sad truth. Some, if notMy rating of 0 does not reflect the game's quality. Metacritic's (as of now) user score of 3.0 does not reflect the quality either. Merely, we as fans are severely disappointed in the delivery and intent of Dragon Age II and are expressing it accordingly. If I were to be honest with myself, I'd probably give it a 6/10, which is still fairly horrible.

Here's the sad truth. Some, if not mostly all, the highly ratings for these games are just paid reviews. You can see evidence for yourself on the forums. This is sad and completely unnecessary. Instead of shelling out cash to make your game look good, why don't you use that money to actually make the game look good, honestly and truthfully? I have no idea where it all went wrong in the development of this game. The graphics are a step down from Origins, the combat is a joke (unless playing an Nightmare, which is exactly the problem) and worst of all, the RPG element of this game is hideous. Only 3 dialog options, really. Are you kidding me here, BioWare? Maybe, maybe, this would be forgivable.. if it weren't for the 5 words or less sentence that represents that dialog option. Case in point, the story telling just atrocious.

I sincerely hope BioWare learns a lesson from this. Hell, I hope they end up releasing ALL DLC for free, in hopes that more people will buy the game and their fan-base will half-heartily turn the other cheek. But, it's gonna take a lot more than free DLC to fix this problem. Rather, I think they should just consider it a loss, make a great Mass Effect 3, and then somewhere down the road revisit Dragon Age and make it the game everyone wanted to be.…Expand

Very boring gameplay your in the same location for most of the game i got very bored of the fighting tactics very quickly it is simply not an RPG it is more of a hack and slash game very linear paths to follow dumd down dialogue wheel like mass effect 2 cant change your parties armour like the first game no over head camera all in all this game is no were as good as the first game veryVery boring gameplay your in the same location for most of the game i got very bored of the fighting tactics very quickly it is simply not an RPG it is more of a hack and slash game very linear paths to follow dumd down dialogue wheel like mass effect 2 cant change your parties armour like the first game no over head camera all in all this game is no were as good as the first game very dissapointed.…Expand

Dragon Age 2 just parody on Japanese-style slasher with elements RPG.Roleplaying completely absent, the dialogues are boring, dull one type lokatsii.Eto just soulless piece of code on which I wasted attention and spent their hard-earned money.

Thanks bioware for selling out and appealing to the mass majority of younger gamers. The addition of many scantly clad characters does well in appealing to 13 year olds. The over the top exploding gore and wildly unrealistic combat is also good at catering to the wants of hyperactive anime fans with ADHD everywhere. When I played this at a friends house I felt like I was playing a specialThanks bioware for selling out and appealing to the mass majority of younger gamers. The addition of many scantly clad characters does well in appealing to 13 year olds. The over the top exploding gore and wildly unrealistic combat is also good at catering to the wants of hyperactive anime fans with ADHD everywhere. When I played this at a friends house I felt like I was playing a special exclusive version of god of war made only in japan but featuring a different protagonist 'hawke' the man who can swing a two handed sword with 1 hand like it was a tin butter knife. (Of course god of war was actually an action game, not an "RPG" trying to be one). Did you like the tactical challenge of nightmare in DA:O? Well we don't have any of that boring tactical crap anymore! No thinking and planning required! Just mash those buttons hard enough and you can overcome any battle! If you're really have trouble just grab your keyboard/controller hold it high and shout "Super sayian button mash activate!!" then proceed to repeatly smash the keyboard/controller into your desk/tv/monitor/friend (Maybe he'll explode into a blood mist like in the game!)

Whats next? Dragon Age 3: Path of the vampire god of war. Featuring cloud from ff7 and sepphiroth fighting together in their latest adventure to stop the twinkling vampire god edward (yeah twilight) from his vampire darkspawn invasion. Also featuring full frontal nudity from all your favorite ff7 and DBZ characters. If you buy the special naughty DLC for only $70.00 you can get breast enlargements to EEE+ (up from just DDD) for every female character and you get kagomai from inyuyasha as a new tag along sex slave companion.

Again thank you bioware. I remember when you made RPG's like Baldur's Gate, but you're right! Why make a good game when you can make GOOD MONEY!!!!…Expand

I'm a girl and I finished the game so I'll write from my perspective. I like smart games and this one wasn't so smart. The conversations were boring, hardly no wry humour, romance (Hawke and Anders) was rushed. The worst part was that you weren't able to speak to your heroes unless you went to their room AND you were lucky enough to see the yellow arrow above their heads. The tinyI'm a girl and I finished the game so I'll write from my perspective. I like smart games and this one wasn't so smart. The conversations were boring, hardly no wry humour, romance (Hawke and Anders) was rushed. The worst part was that you weren't able to speak to your heroes unless you went to their room AND you were lucky enough to see the yellow arrow above their heads. The tiny conversation was held and then it was just "back to normal". I've played Dragon Age: Origins and I know that they could do better. Srsly, were you saving money on voice actors? I also missed the camp or at least some house where EVERYBODY hangs out.Secondly, I hated how the game felt like an action game. Well, it is. I hated it. It should be an RPG, not Half Life.I hated the ending. There's hardly any continuity of DA:O and on top of all that, there's this unresolved ending. "so this is the story about the champion" - kthxbye. The story feels unfinished. And no, I won't buy the DLCs.Revisiting old locations was boring. The city was awesome with the day/night system, but it was still sometimes boring.The game was too dumbed down. Where was the button for selecting all party members? There wasn't any. I had to hold shift and click every one, which was annoying. Sometimes I selected all members and just clicked on an enemy and waited 2 minutes until they kill him. Boring.I missed the camera from above. I missed being able to equip all party members. Collecting armor was no fun.I liked the cutscenes, the loading screens, the art, the music. That's it. I suggest to Bioware that they merge DA:O and DA2 for DA3, if there will even be one.…Expand

I laughed when I noticed the 84 metacritic score. Not from amusement but from a sense of irony. I don't know the going rate or method of review credibility for so called game critics, but anything outside of Rock-Paper-Shotgun is probably going to be heavily "persuaded" by more than just the game features if you know what I mean. As for the game itself, it simply did not impress or evenI laughed when I noticed the 84 metacritic score. Not from amusement but from a sense of irony. I don't know the going rate or method of review credibility for so called game critics, but anything outside of Rock-Paper-Shotgun is probably going to be heavily "persuaded" by more than just the game features if you know what I mean. As for the game itself, it simply did not impress or even live up to the mediocre flavor of the original I'm afraid. Bioware is really losing the touch, and this game is a victim of EAs policy toward game development more than anything…Expand

I've played this all of the way through before writing anything. I've always been a Bioware fan, but seriously, DA2 is disappointing and I cannot see how the bulk of review sites can ignore some its fundamental flaws. Granted I can see how the combat has improved for console platforms, but it's really the rest of the game that leaves me feeling irritated. For instance, the dialogue optionsI've played this all of the way through before writing anything. I've always been a Bioware fan, but seriously, DA2 is disappointing and I cannot see how the bulk of review sites can ignore some its fundamental flaws. Granted I can see how the combat has improved for console platforms, but it's really the rest of the game that leaves me feeling irritated. For instance, the dialogue options and conversation interactions have really been dulled down - I assume this is due to the fact that Hawke is now voice-acted. I would love to sit down and talk with whoever came up with the 'sarcastic' replies for Hawke - he just sounds like an idiot. Taking the character of Isabella as an example - we get it, she is a sex addict - there is no need to constantly remind the player over and over again aside from the obviously intended hit with the younger male audience. There is no connection with the characters, you just don't end up caring what happens to them. The exception to this in my opinion is Merrill, whose dilemmas and underlying story fit in more with what I'd come to expect from Origins. The constant 'cameos' from older characters only reinforce the lack of interest with the supposed main cast of this installment. The story is definitely a lesser scale than origins, which makes me feel quite angry as to the marketing propaganda hinting at some sort of epic ascent to 'power'. Whilst the combat mechanics are a little more streamlined, as is item and inventory management in general, this doesn't fix the issue of repeated zones, reuse of assets, the low variety of enemies and the incredibly annoying 'walk-into-an-area-and-keep-spawning-stuff' ideology. Perhaps it is my fault for having expectations that were too high, or not checking beforehand that the entire game was essentially going to be set in one relatively bland city with a few outdoor areas which would be reused at periodic intervals as 'years' progress. I see a lot of the positive reviews being given here with scores of '10'. I just don't see why. Especially the 'OH MY GOD IM LEVEL 7 AND THIS IS AMAZING' - I too was still 'giving it a chance' at that stage hoping that it would open up and improve. Others suggest increasing the difficulty somehow compensates for the bad storyline and being locked into only a few zones just so that you can engage in slightly harder repetitive combat where on occasion people jump randomly from the sky, up from the ground or pop out of nowhere. I'm not a professional review writer - and I've never posted a review on metacritic before despite being a deidcated PC gamer for well over a decade. I just felt massively let down as a player and as a fan of DA:O that the experience of DA2 was quite simply a let down. Honestly it feels as if they sat down after the Awakening expansion and thought 'lets do that again with a new character and implement some of the ideas we couldn't fit into the scope Awakening - we'll call it Dragon Age 2'. P.S. Bring back more of the mage schools and spell combos. Why remove them?…Expand

Dragon Age 2 is very rushed sequel composed of dense , uninspired characters and shallow combat.Companions are huge step backward compared to Origins - boring , unoriginal with very little dialog to help build their personality.World where the game takes place feels empty and full of invisible walls . Most of npcs in Kirkwall cannot be interacted with , you cant even highlight them ,Dragon Age 2 is very rushed sequel composed of dense , uninspired characters and shallow combat.Companions are huge step backward compared to Origins - boring , unoriginal with very little dialog to help build their personality.World where the game takes place feels empty and full of invisible walls . Most of npcs in Kirkwall cannot be interacted with , you cant even highlight them , they are just a background.Overall it feels like Bioware decided to make that sequel very fast and in as inexpensive way as possible , achieving developement cost reduction by simplifying , streamling and removing a lot of elements from the game(for example item description knowns from myriad of other rpgs are gone).…Collapse

Despite some advancement in storytelling approach and liberal borrowing from Bioware's Mass Effect approach to gameplay, Dragon Age 2 on the PC has a lot of bugs and is populated with re-used settings that make this feel like a play performed on a stage with two sets.

For a rushed product that is still battling bugs, the currently offered product still provides 40 hours of challenging and engaging gameplay. This combines to provide a good, but not great gaming experience.